Skirting the Line
by everg8er23
Summary: Episode tag for "Line in the Sand". Jack visits Sam after her life threatening injury during an Ori encounter.


Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate, just this story and any mistakes that it may include.

Summary: Jack stops in to see Sam after she was shot in the episode "Line in the Sand". You can read it as ship or just friendship, your choice.

* * *

She hadn't been planning on telling him. After all, she hadn't actually died, she had been expecting to, but she hadn't. She was going to be fine. Three weeks in the infirmary wasn't exactly new to her. As a member of SG-1 she expected to be shot at and sooner or later her luck would run out. What she hadn't been expecting was that he would show up in person. A phone call wouldn't have been out of the ordinary. When he read in the mission report that she had been shot he would call, just to make sure she was okay. She'd say it was nothing and that Mitchell had probably exaggerated in his report and that it hadn't been life threatening or anything. He, however, had different plans.

"So making entire villages go invisible nowadays, huh? What happened to the good old days when the pentagon was hounding us because nothing good ever came out of the Stargate?" General O'Neill asked as he strode into the infirmary heading straight for the bed Samantha Carter currently occupied. He had a smirk on his face and his eyes twinkled in the bright infirmary lighting.

"The village wasn't invisible; just temporarily transferred to a different dimension." Sam smirked back at him. "It's good to see you sir."

"I knew that Carter. I do read your mission reports… or skim them for the interesting parts anyway." He paused and Sam felt his eyes check her up and down as if it were possible for him to see every injury that she had acquired. When his brown eyes had again met Sam's blue ones he asked, "How's your side?"

"Janet says I'll make a full recovery." Jack looked as though he were about to speak again when Sam quickly said, "Sir, if you don't mind me asking, what brings you to Colorado Springs?"

"Fishing" was his completely unhelpful answer.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she scrutinized his face, which was also annoyingly devoid of information.

"I mean I'm on vacation and I thought I'd stop in to say hello to a few friends. I actually just ran into Mitchell. He filled me in on some of the goings on of the base."

"Oh," was all Sam could make herself say. She knew that by his expression that Cameron had told Jack just how much danger Sam had been in after being shot. Hoping to avoid a conversation about her injury Sam asked, "So have you seen Teal'c or Daniel yet?"

"Not yet, I wanted to see how you were doing first." Now Sam was sure that she heard a note of concern in his voice. She didn't want to think about how concerned he must have been when he'd learned that she'd been injured.

"Well sir, I'm fine." She smiled hoping that somehow he'd understand that she didn't want to talk about it.

"Yeah, I can see that." He got a bit of a far away look in his eye. "So, how are things?"

"Actually Dr. Lee and I managed to fix the bug in the device and we think it can now be used for large scale defense against the Ori. It's interesting actually how I realized what the problem was. You see the capacitor in the device was being hindered by the large amount of energy build up –"

"Ah ah ah!" Jack exclaimed closing his eyes and waving his arms around. "You'd think that by now you'd stop doing that."

"Sorry sir." Sam apologized, not really sorry at all. His face just then had reminded her of the times when he'd randomly stop by her office and start playing with whatever doohickey they had just found and ask her what it did only to complain when she told him. That seemed like such a long time ago. And though his presence was usually a hindrance rather than a help she still missed it, especially the times when he unwittingly led her to the correct answer. Jack must have been thinking along the same lines because he looked distant again.

"What are you thinking sir?" Sam inquired snapping him back to reality.

"How much I want a piece of cake." Sam smiled and shook her head. "Want a slice? I could abduct one from the commissary and sneak it in."

"I'd love that sir."

XXXX

Twenty minutes and one generous helping of cake later, Sam had nearly forgotten the pain in her side and was thoroughly enjoying the company of her unexpected visitor. She was propped up on pillows while Jack was sprawled in the chair beside her with his feet resting on the bed.

"Of course I told him!" Jack half shouted, half laughed. "He just didn't believe a word I said and carried on with his business. Two days later, lo and behold, he was back complaining that it had snapped in half."

Shaking with laughter Sam looked over Jack's shoulder to see Daniel standing in the doorway with his hands shoved in his pockets. He entered slowly, "Am I interrupting anything? Mitchell told me you were here."

Jack took his feet off of the bed and turned to look at Daniel. "Not at all Danny boy, just telling Carter here about the morons that work in our government."

"Oh, sorry I missed it then." Daniel replied. "So what are you doing here?"

"Just visiting. Did you miss me?"

Daniel, deliberately ignoring him, turned to Sam and asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Much better actually." She glanced at Jack and then back to Daniel.

"Well I'd stick around but I promised to take Vala to see Iron Man. She's become obsessed with superhero movies for some reason."

"People who save the planet are just so damn sexy Daniel" Jack grinned at him with a knowing look.

Daniel smiled shyly and looked down at his shoes, "Well I'll, uh, see you two later. Good to see you again Jack."

Both Sam and Jack said goodbye as he left the room.

Jack turned back to Sam, "So have those two slept together yet?"

Taken a bit off guard, Sam laughed thinking he was joking but one look at his face said otherwise. "Not that I know of sir."

"Too bad, Daniel could learn a thing or two from her."

At this Sam right out giggled which only made Jack laugh along with her.

"I miss this sir." Sam said without thinking.

"Yeah, me too Carter."


End file.
